Police Warn Marijuana-Infused Candy Could Pose Halloween Problem

Skittish parents in Colorado and Washington have something new to worry about this Halloween—the possibility that now readily available marijuana-infused candies or other treats could play a major trick on their children.

Hyped up fears of candy tampering or other trick-or-treating dangers are about as old as Halloween itself. However, with pot candies so prevalent since the legalization of marijuana in some states, authorities are once again encouraging everyone to be diligent when digging through their haul of treats this year.

The Denver police have gone so far as to create a video warning people of possible issues. The biggest risk is that pot candies are often regular candies that have been sprayed with hash oil, typically leaving them looking and even smelling like normal. According to CNN, Urban Dispensary owner Patrick Johnson, who is featured in the video, suggests that if parents don’t recognize a brand, they’re best to “discard it out of the reach of children.” (When we were trick-or-treating we refused to eat any crappy, off-brand candy anyway.)

“Poisoned candy myths” is such a ubiquitous topic it even has its own Wikipedia page. And rumor-checking site Snopes.com clearly puts “Halloween Poisonings” in its “false” column. Still, pot candies certainly are a reality now, and the concept of Halloween is crazy enough without being on a psychedelic roller-coaster ride. So it can’t hurt to be on the lookout.

But probably the biggest myth of them all is the thought that people would be willing to just give away their perfectly good doped-up candy.